Councillors dismay at schools not using council's commercial recycling arm

Concerns have been raised that Powys schools are using private firms to recycle their commercial waste rather than the council’s in-house service.

At a meeting of the council’s Economy, Residents and Communities scrutiny committee on Monday, December 9, councillors went through the draft Powys Sustainable Resource Strategy.

This strategy will be put out to a three-month “engagement process” early next year which will allow residents to have their say on how waste and recycling will be run in the county up to 2030.

Part of the document explains that the council provides a workplace compliant service.

A new law came into force in Wales last April and means all workplaces such as businesses, public sector and charities need to separate their recyclable materials in the same way most households already do.

Plaid Cymru’s Cllr Gary Mitchell said : “I get quite frustrated when businesses within our authority don’t use our services, schools being a key one.

“I know they are free to spend their budget where they want to, but it makes sense to use our own services.”

Cabinet member for waste and recycling Liberal Democrat Cllr Jackie Charlton said: “I’m really disappointed that our schools are not using our commercial service for their recycling and waste disposal.”

She did concede that these decisions are taken by school senior management and governors.

Committee chairwoman, Liberal Democrat Cllr Angela Davies: “For schools it will be completely driven by money, they don’t have enough to do the things they want to do.

“Are we to assume that other companies are more competitive financially than the local authority?”

Senior waste and recycling manager Ashley Collins said that the department had met with school headteachers to explain the new regulations before they came into force.

Mr Collins said: “They are aware of their obligations and we’re more than happy to provide them with a good service.

“It’s a commercial market, we have to make this service pay and it also has to be fair and equitable across the county.”

He explained that it would cost considerably more to take commercial waste away from a site in the countryside such as one Lake Vyrnwy than one close to a waste facility, such as a business in Rhayader.

Mr Collins said: “It’s important we get that right as the council taxpayer should not be subsidising businesses.

“If a company comes in and tells a school we can do it for half the price, so longs as they are not breaking the law there is very little we can do.

“But more and more are coming back to us as we can provide that is legally compliant.”

The engagement process on the strategy is due to start on January 10.